Youth and Family

From newborn to nearly grown-up, there are plenty of activities in the Society for the young and young-at-heart!

For the Youth

The Society has many activities geared not only towards children and youth, but also towards the family as a whole. Many events and gatherings offer children’s activities for a variety of ages where children can learn more about the Middle Ages through lessons, hands-on arts and crafts, and games. Just as the grown-ups get involved in combat activities, in many kingdoms youth combat starts as early as age six. Youth also participate in archery and equestrian activities.

We encourage our youth participants to find ways to engage in service just as the adults do! As the children grow older, they’ll find opportunities to serve in important ways at events, from helping out in the kitchen to heralding on the field.

The SCA is great for me because there are so many different people that you always have a friend and there is always so much to do! — Elinor Rose, Age 9

For the Parent/Guardian

We are pleased to see families coming together through a shared love of the Middle Ages! Many of the earliest participants in the Society are now the parents of participants who themselves are bringing their children to the organization. We encourage parents and guardians to find ways to enjoy the Society together such as learning crafts that are fun for both kids and adults, sharing songs and stories together around the campfire, and serving together at events.

We place the safety of all our participants as our highest priority, not just the warriors in armor. Every kingdom has guidelines in place for monitoring children’s activities by age, including ensuring that children too young to be unsupervised stay in reach of their parent or guardian. For activities such as classes and workshops that go on simultaneously with activities for the adults, we require two supervising, unrelated adults to be present at all times, and we have a background check system in place for all officers who supervise children.

If you’re interested in learning more about Youth and Family Activities, contact the Youth and Family (or Children’s) Officer of your nearest branch to find out when and where activities are held!

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